


When the Bough Breaks

by misura



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Nicaise (Captive Prince) Lives, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26545966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Instead of a courier with his head, Nicaise shows up alive and well and splattered in other people's blood.
Relationships: Laurent & Nicaise (Captive Prince)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35
Collections: Fandom Giftbox 2020





	When the Bough Breaks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HandmaidenOfHorror](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HandmaidenOfHorror/gifts).



Damen stared at the blood-spattered clothes, the near-feverish expression on Nicaise's face.

He felt cold all over, even as he told himself that he was being ridiculous. There were any number of reasonable explanations for Nicaise's state: a coup, perhaps, unlikely as that might sound. A narrow escape, because Nicaise was nobody important. A desperate ride to the one place where Nicaise knew he would be safe, welcomed.

"You look like a mess," said Laurent, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

Nicaise smiled. "Did you think they would kill me?"

Damen had been looking at Laurent, because looking at Nicaise was too disturbing; he saw Laurent flinch, just for a moment, and Damen realized that Laurent had not thought about Nicaise being in any danger at all.

"I killed them instead. It was easy." Nicaise giggled.

Laurent shifted his position, and Damen realized that he was readying himself for a fight. It was reasonable, given that Nicaise was clearly dangerous.

It was also, Damen knew in his gut, the wrong thing to do. Nicaise hadn't come here for a fight; he'd come here for shelter. Protection. He'd come because Laurent meant something to him.

"I imagine my uncle won't be happy about that," Laurent said, his tone casual. "Or did you kill him, too?"

"No." Nicaise pouted. "He hid in his rooms when I came for him."

"You should have planned better," said Laurent. "All those times he had you in his bed - honestly, I'm disappointed. I thought you were more clever than that."

Damen realized that he'd been wrong - or at least, only partially right. The fight Laurent foresaw wasn't against Nicaise; it was against the rest of them. Damen heard them muttering behind him. He caught the word 'demonspawn' and 'kill us all in our beds' and 'get him before he gets us'.

He wanted to turn around and tell them, I attended a banquet and the worst he did was stab me with a fork. At the time, it had not felt like a ringing endorsement of Nicaise's moral integrity; in view of recent revelations, Damen was willing to amend that opinion.

Whatever else Nicaise was, he was also still a thirteen-possibly-fourteen-year-old boy. Damen had seen the Veretian court: he could not imagine it was kind to children.

Allowances could, should be made.

Nicaise shrugged, as if he did not realize how precarious his current situation was. "I'm glad. After all, now we can do it together. You want to, don't you?" His voice had gone up at the last part. He sounded impossibly young and improbably vulnerable, and Damen realized that if it came to a fight, he would side with Laurent, and Nicaise.

Laurent stepped forward. Damen felt the tension rise. Under other circumstances, he would have been pleased. It was good, that Laurent's men cared about him, that they disliked seeing him put himself in danger.

"You know I do," Laurent said, putting his arms around Nicaise.

Damen wondered if the gesture was affectionate or defensive. Anyone wanting to get at Nicaise would now need to be very careful not to hit Laurent instead.

"I know - " Nicaise started, then swallowed and fell silent. He swayed slightly.

"Get Paschal," someone yelled, and Damen realized it was he himself and that, strictly speaking, he had no right to issue commands.

It did not seem to matter.

"I don't need a doctor, you know. I'm fine. I'm not weak, like you," Nicaise said, softly enough for the words to be audible only to Laurent, who was still holding him, and Damen, who stood too close.

"Pretend," Laurent suggested. His tone implied it was an order.

Nicaise scoffed, and Damen belatedly realized that the swaying had only been an act, a show of weakness to placate the soldiers.

He became aware that Laurent was looking at him now, half-worried and half-puzzled.

"You might at least change into clean clothes," he said. "A bath. In something other than blood," he added.

"Does he always take the fun out of everything?" Nicaise asked.

"Yes, generally speaking, but I do find him useful on occasion," Laurent replied. "He's also very good at killing people. Really, the two of you should get along quite well."


End file.
